Ballet is considered an elite genre of performing arts. At all stages of the creation of the performance, special techniques and methods of working with the material are used. According to sophisticated critics, there are no trifles and minor elements in ballet. And the musical accompaniment, and the scenery, and the appearance of the performer, and other components must be of the highest quality. Maris Eduardovich Liepa, a genius dancer, fully met the given criteria.
The path to excellence
There is a strong opinion among art professionals that it is necessary to engage in a certain genre from an early age. At the same time, by the age of three, the child should clearly show suitable inclinations. Maris Eduardovich Liepa was born on July 27, 1936 in the family of a master actor who had previously worked in the theater. The parents raised the boy in time-tested traditions. They taught them to be neat and tidy. It should be noted that at an early age, Maris was not in good health.
The family seriously discussed the question of which sports section to take the boy to. The fact is that Maris played football with pleasure and swam well. After a short consultation, the father brought his son to the ballet class of the Riga Choreographic School. Not immediately, but under the influence of educational measures, the young man felt a taste for creativity. I must say that simultaneously with dancing, Maris was engaged in swimming. And at the age of fourteen he became the Latvian swimming champion in his age group.
For the first time a young man saw how ballet actors live in 1950, when he became a participant in the All-Union competition of choreographic schools. The Riga studio was recognized as the best in the competition. Maris, as a promising dancer, was invited to continue his studies in Moscow. Having received a specialized education, and leaving the best impression of himself, Liepa returned to his native land two years later. However, the application for success was made and the young actor was remembered in the capital.
Ballet and cinema
The creative biography of Maris Liepa is divided into two parts. In 1956 he was invited to work in Moscow. The young performer goes on tour to Hungary. Dances in one performance with the famous ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. In short, a career on stage is developing very successfully. He is offered leading roles in classical productions, including Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Giselle, Spartacus and others. The popularity among the audience, as they say, is off the charts.
In the context of this presentation, it must be said that not only love rules in art, but also other, completely base feelings. Unwillingly, Maris Liepa offended the chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater. And the popular actor, full of strength and aspirations, was excommunicated from participation in performances. Of course, Liepa did not remain idle. He successfully acted in films. He toured the country and abroad. But without a stage, all these gestures did not bring the proper satisfaction.
The personal life of a popular actor was uneven. The first time he married Maya Plisetskaya. Life together lasted three months. And the scars remain on the heart. In the second marriage with actress Marina Zhigunova, the couple had a son and a daughter. The husband and wife did their best, but they could not prevent the disintegration of the family. Liepa lived with his third wife for five years. In the fourth marriage, a daughter was born. Maris did not have time to raise her. The great dancer died suddenly in March 1989. At that time he was fifty-two years old.
